Pistol range in home basement

[rajb123]

...when I was about 6 or 7 in the 1960s, my family knew a person in NJ who shot pistols in his own basement and I was allowed to shoot the gun at the target several times.

From what I remember, this gun was a CF revolver and the shots were fired into a paper backstop from about 25 feet.

I'm pretty sure this would not be lawful in my neck of the woods today, but I was wondering if anyone else does this for learning and entertainment.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Since NJ has had one billion residents for the last four hundred years, I'd say that that was unlawful also. Never know though.

 

[Skribs]

Since NJ has had one billion residents for the last four hundred years, I'd say that that was unlawful also.

What does a billion residents have to do with it being lawful or not?

 

[Certaindeaf]

^
Last I heard it was unlawful to pop a cap in a residential area?

 

[holdencm9]

I wish. That would be cool if you could. But not only is it probably illegal within most cities/towns, most people's typical basement doesn't have adequate ventilation to shoot much more than a few rounds.

 

[Arp32]

The HVAC/ventilation requirements are extreme. that's a big chunk of the construction budget in a "real" indoor shooting range.

 

[Tom488]

There are plenty of townships in NJ that do not have a prohibition on firearms discharge. Firearms discharge is regulated at the local level here.

 

[Zoogster]

It would also have to comply with noise ordinances. So if neighbors can hear those scary gunshots, then it would probably be in violation.
You have a simple solution? Mufflers are for bad guys.
No instead you need to sound proof the whole place, not diminish the report of the gun.


Any projectiles leaving the property would likely result in serious penalties or criminal charges, as well as media attention of the psycho with X guns raided by police on charges of ___, _____, ______, (several that don't even apply initially thrown in for good measure as is typical.)
The guy would be known to the public as a crazy psycho before he even got to tell his side once he did anything that brought legal attention.

However if it was sound proofed, had a good backstop for the calibers used, and nobody around was aware, and there was no accidents like self inflicted wounds at the range, it could go both undetected and be legal in some places.


If you were going to research constructing such a thing and the legalities in your jurisdiction you would probably want to do so in a manner that does not let everyone know you will have a gun range in your home.

What does a billion residents have to do with it being lawful or not?

While not a specific legal answer, generally population density leads to greater restrictions on freedom to more easily manage the masses, and because people want to better manage each other and impose what they think others should be doing.
People start to feel entitled to decisions not just about how they live, but about every detail of the masses they are in close proximity to. You get ordinances and home owner's associations as the norm that for example tell you what height the grass can be, what colors you are allowed to paint, what types of vehicles are allowed in driveways, whether you can alter your fence or plant a tree, etc

Likewise they will be into every detail on what and how you can possess and use various objects, especially those they associate with high risk and/or violence. Guns, airguns, things that look too much like a gun, stun guns, pepper spray, pocket knives, pointy sticks, etc
NJ has the highest population density in the nation, and lives up to the expectation of having some of the greatest number of restrictions on its residents.

 

[hso]

I pretty sure this would not be lawful in my neck of the woods today

And why wouldn't it be legal if you had an adequate means of preventing any stray rounds from leaving the range (top, bottom, sides)?

 

[HankB]

I had a pistol range in my basement when I was a kid . . . growing up in Chicago.

I'm also aware of other people who were known (by a select few!) to fire a round or two in their basements.

Must not have been illegal, since neither my Dad nor I were ever ran afoul of law enforcement.

 

[BCRider]

You just didn't get turned in and caught...

The need for proper ventilation would pretty much kill such a project. Winter seems like the best time to do such antics when it's too cold outside to go to the outdoor range. But the air movement needed for proper ventilation would likely double or more the cost of keeping the house heated. You need to vent out the shooting gasses. But at the same time you need to replace that air from outside. And unless you're shooting down a fairly small pipe the amount of air that needs to be exchanged is considerable. And since you'd be drawing in frigid outside air you'll want to heat that air up.

 

[atblis]

Vaporized lead compounds everywhere. Yummy.

 

[Zoogster]

Good air ventilation also makes sound proofing more expensive because the ventilation system needs to move lots of air but not let sound escape outside. In a normal ventilation system the vents will be a prime location for strong sound waves to make it outside, and so they need to be adequately improved if you don't want your neighbors knowing you are shooting. That adds more expense.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Primer powered, plastic bullets?

Those used to be available, and probably still are. Seems like you just primed the cases and pushed the bullets in by hand. Bullets were reusable.

 

[EddieNFL]

^ Speer sold them in the '70s and '80s. Not sure if that's still the case

 

[GCBurner]

They're still available, I got some from Midway.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

It been done using those Speer plastic bullets and primers in my Neighbors Barn.

 

[shotgunjoel]

http://www.waxbullet.com/

 

[Lost Sheep]

Primer powered, plastic bullets?

Those used to be available, and probably still are. Seems like you just primed the cases and pushed the bullets in by hand. Bullets were reusable.

Yes, EddieNFL, still available. I saw some at my local Sportsman's Warehouse last year.

Wax bullets (primer powered only) are also very popular. , but you will want to be careful about re-using the wax if it picks up any grit when it hits you backstop. You will have to drill out the primer's flash hole a bit to keep the primers from backing out and then never use those cases for live ammunition again. Some people ream out the primer pocket to fit a shotgun primer.

Hot glue extruded into a bullet mold works, too. Some brands of hot glue sticks are already sized for 45s. Just cut them all to the same length and you have wadcutters.

The power of a primer is not to be taken lightly. A wax bullet powered by a primer alone will put a decent dent in a steel exterior door and put a real hurt on flesh, even in moderately heavy clothing. Let alone bare flesh or eyes.

Lost Sheep

 

[MARKMALL]

Probably about 20 years ago we shoot 22's in my BIL basment. I have modified 38 spl. cases that take a shot shell primer and fire a rubber bullet.

 

[Owen Sparks]

A gunshot from inside a house is really hard to recognize. After the sound passes through exterior walls it just makes a dull thump. Your neighbors would probably never hear it unless they were right outside and even then they would not recognize it as gunfire. As long as you kept your mouth shut no one would suspect anything. I hammer and bang on stuff all the time at my house and no one ever comes to see what the noise is.

That being said, indoor lead contamination would be the real problem. It would be VERY expensive to install a proper ventalation system. That alone makes a basement range impractical unless you could afford to shoot copper bullets or some other non-toxic training ammo.

 

[oneounceload]

And why wouldn't it be legal if you had an adequate means of preventing any stray rounds from leaving the range (top, bottom, sides)?

Because in many locales it is illegal to discharge a firearm within certain boundaries (such as city limits)

Lead exposure in a poorly ventilated basement is a bad idea health-wise; even the components of the primers in a wax bullet scenario can be detrimental

 

[PBR Streetgang]

when I lived in NJ years ago I'd shoot in the back yard and the local police would call just to check if it was me shooting.

Another place we broke a hole underground in a basement wall,installed 25 foot of 24 inch sewer pipe in the ground with vents a light at the far end and a electric track to travel the targets on.Was a great place to play on a cold rainy day.

Shooting there today will bring out the swat team.

BTW Nyclad bullets were made to cut down on the lead in the air.

 

[Meta]

Wax bullets or not, the vast majority of lead exposure from shooting comes from the primer. Not a good idea to be shooting indoors anything more than rarely if ever without ventilation and building designed for shooting.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

A gunshot from inside a house is really hard to recognize. After the sound passes through exterior walls it just makes a dull thump. Your neighbors would probably never hear it unless they were right outside and even then they would not recognize it as gunfire. As long as you kept your mouth shut no one would suspect anything. I hammer and bang on stuff all the time at my house and no one ever comes to see what the noise is.

Indeed. Some friends of mine shot their .22 pump Winchester in their basement all the time when I was a kid. Years later, their mother shot and killed herself with a .30-06 when nobody was home. Though I was a mere 2 doors down, I never heard it. Nobody had, except for possibly their next-door neighbor who was nervously looking out the window, according to another neighbor, and when the ambulance showed up, he shut his blinds quickly.